Newsletter

Twelve Square Miles! Since August of 2006, land trusts around the country have received record numbers of donated conservation easements. In that year, Congress enhanced the tax incentive for the donation of conservation easements by allowing landowners to deduct a larger share of their income over a longer period of time. Since then, the Cibolo Conservancy has made dramatic progress, as have other land trusts. America’s land trusts protected 2,027,553 acres with conservation easements in the first two years with the enhanced tax incentive, 535,000 more acres than were protected in the previous two years. That increase of 36% represents an area larger than Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park, Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park and Utah’s Arches National Park combined.  The number of easements held by state and local land trusts grew at an even faster pace than acreage protected. In 2006 and 2007, land trusts added over 6,000 conservation easements, about 2,000 more than in 2004-2005 – nearly a 50% increase.  The number of conservation easements completed grew in every region, but nowhere more than in the Southeast where land trusts did twice as many easements in 2006-2007 as in the previous two years. The tenth anniversary in 2008 brought new easements and new challenges for the Cibolo Conservancy. We more than doubled our acreage of protected last year. The Cibolo Conservancy now holds 20 conservation easements, totaling over 7,690 acres. This is more than twelve square miles of conserved land - no small accomplishment for a small land trust that was conceived by a few volunteers associated with the Cibolo Nature Center a decade ago – volunteers who just wanted to learn how to save some of the beautiful ranches of the Texas Hill County. Conservation easements benefit the public by addressing one or more of the following values: The protection of a relatively natural habitat of fish, wildlife, or plants, or similar ecosystem. The preservation of open space (including farmland and forestland) where such preservation is for the scenic enjoyment of the general public. The preservation of land areas for outdoor recreation by, or the education of, the general public. (Note: most easements do not permit public access). The preservation of an historically important land area or certified historic structure. For more information, attend one of our “Conservation Easements 101 ” workshops, or contact Brent Evans (210) 601-4599.

 

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